Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Sunday banned the sale of non-vegetarian food within 500 metres of Lingaraj Temple here in view of Mahashivratri.The decision was taken because meat, chicken and fish shops along the roads leading up to the temple were causing traffic congestion. The ban was to ensure smooth crowd management and making pedestrian and vehicular movement hassle-free, BMC officials said.
“From Sunday morning till late night, no roadside vendor of non-veg food or others was allowed within a 500-metre radius from the temple towards Vivekanand Marg on one side and towards Rabi Talkies, Kedar Gouri and Rajarani Temple on the other side. By afternoon, as devotees began to congregate near the temple, we felt that the restriction helped clear the rush and ensure free traffic flow,” said BMC additional commissioner Kailash Chandra Das.BMC teams also generated awareness through street plays on how to shun polythene carry bags. Several mannequins were placed with placards carrying awareness messages against the use of plastic bags. “This year, during Shivratri, we tried our best to make people not use polythene bags. Even if some carried puja items from shops, they were advised to dump them at a particular place before entering the temple periphery and premises,” said a BMC officer.BMC officials said they engaged 90 sanitary workers in three shifts to look after sanitation around the shrine. The sanitary workers were trained to pick up waste and not sweep, as it would cause air pollution and there would be little space for sweeping.Last year, the Lingaraj Temple generated waste that was cleared by the BMC’s sanitation force in 30 trips. This year, the amount of waste could go up considering the devotee rush. The puja waste is addition to the regular waste the city generates every day.“We are trying our bit to ensure that Old Town, where the shrine is located, remains clean. People’s cooperation is required to achieve the objective. This year we have tried to ensure that the minimum possible waste is generated,” the officer added.
